South Fork thinning environmental assessment

Proposes a commercial thinning project in plantations.
The project is located in the western portion of the Clackamas River Ranger District, Mt.
Hood National Forest, Oregon. The trees in the plantations are 40 to 60 years old.
The purpose of this project is to thin young forest stands to achieve multiple objectives.
The proposed action is to thin and harvest wood fiber from approximately 423 acres of
matrix land and approximately 74 acres of riparian reserves.

EA proposes vegetation and fuels management on about 10,000 acres to improve the health and vigor of the upland forest, and reduce the potential for future fires of uncharacteristic effects in upland forests. Includes commercial thinning of about 2400 acres, treatment of 40 acres of dead and downed woody material resulting from the 2000/2001 tussock moth outbreak, precommercial thinning of about 700 acres, treatment of surface fuels on about 10,000 acres, and reconstruction and maintenance of existing roads and construction of about 4 miles of temporary roads. Decision notice announces implementation of Alternative 4 with minor modifications, reducing big game vulnerability by not treating the existing satisfactory wildlife cover.

Files in this item: 1

Proposes to harvest fire-killed and damaged trees, reduce fuels, plant trees, remove trees that are hazardous to public safety, and reduce unneeded roads. Includes salvage harvesting on 6803 acres, removal or cutting of dangerous trees along 146 miles of road, defensible space fuels treatment on 20 acres, ground-based yarding on 5847 acres, helicopter yarding on 955 acres, with 29.7 MMBF of timber harvested and 71 miles of roads decommissioned or inactivated.

Description:

649 pp. Maps, tables, figures, glossary, references, appendices, illus.
10 South 8 East 35 & 36
10 South 9 East 31-35
11 South 8 East 1,2,11-16,21-28,33-36
11 South 9 East 2-11,14-22,28-32
12 South 8 East 1-4,9-16,21-29,32-36
12 South 9 East 5,6,7,18,19,30,31
13 South 8 East 2,3.
Captured May 24, 2007.